


City Boys

by SocialDegenerate



Series: 2 + 2 = 4 [9]
Category: Free!
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, First Time, M/M, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-04-17 20:50:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4681049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SocialDegenerate/pseuds/SocialDegenerate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of how Seijuurou and Makoto originally got together.</p>
<p>
<i>'The only reason Makoto could think of for such a question was that Mikoshiba wanted to ask Rin out, and Makoto wasn't quite sure when he'd gotten in so deep that it physically felt like his chest was aching.'</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Behind the Gym

**Author's Note:**

> I'm posting this in chapters because it's been too long since I last posted for this series, so I just want to let everyone know that I am still slowly chipping away at my pile of requests.
> 
> [](http://imgur.com/bCa5tPC) [](http://imgur.com/7k697Kb)

> _From: Captain Mikoshiba  
>  Subject: Quick question  
>  Message: Hey Tachibana, this is gonna sound really weird but do you know if Rin's seeing anyone?_

Makoto stared at his phone, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest as his fingers tightened around the device. He'd already come to terms with the fact that someone as outgoing and friendly as Mikoshiba would never want to date someone as quiet and awkward as him, but it still hurt to have Mikoshiba asking about Rin's relationship status.

The only reason Makoto could think of for such a question was that Mikoshiba wanted to ask Rin out, and Makoto wasn't quite sure when he'd gotten in so deep that it physically felt like his chest was aching.

At the same time though, underneath his own selfish sense of hurt he couldn't help but feel bad for Mikoshiba. The man was lovely and deserved nothing but the very best, yet Makoto was going to have to be the one to tell him that Rin was out of his reach.

If he was a nastier person, maybe he'd find some comfort in believing that he might be able to take advantage of Mikoshiba's inevitable disappointment about Rin; but as it was, he merely felt sad for everyone involved as he typed out his carefully-worded reply.

> _To: Captain Mikoshiba  
>  Subject: Re: Quick question  
>  Message: I'm sorry Mikoshiba-san but Rin has been dating Yamazaki-kun for a couple of months now._

Makoto went to continue typing and then immediately deleted what little he'd written. After a few minutes of shifting back and forth on what else to say, he left the message as it was and squeezed his eyes shut as he blindly hit send, irrationally hoping that it wouldn't really _count_ if he didn't watch it.

He sat and forced himself to breathe calmly through the tight pain in his chest, only vaguely noticing when his phone vibrated in his clenched fist.

It took several minutes before he could bring himself to read the reply, his eyes prickling a little from how much it _hurt_ to know for certain that Mikoshiba wasn't interested in him. The man was gorgeous and funny and everything that Makoto had ever wanted, but he didn't want a pointless crush to get in the way of the friendship they'd formed over the past couple of months, and so he sniffed once before opening the new mail.

If Mikoshiba was going to be upset about Rin being taken, then Makoto would be there to help him through it. It was the least he could do, after all.

> _From: Captain Mikoshiba  
>  Subject: Re: Re: Quick question  
>  Message: Right yeah see I wasn't sure, kind of assumed he was banging Nanase so I got weirded out when I saw him trying to eat Yamazaki's face behind the gym. And what did I say about the san thing?_

Wait...what?

* * *

Seijuurou was whistling quietly to himself as he walked through the Samezuka grounds, appreciating how the place hadn't changed at all since he'd graduated. As it was a bright, sunny day he'd gotten off the train early and walked the rest of the way to campus, but he found that he was still too early for the swim team practice session he'd been planning on crashing.

School had let out for the day but club activities hadn't started yet, and Seijuurou could see students rushing back and forth in the distance. Because he'd walked to the campus, he'd taken a lesser known shortcut through the school's side gate, and it was delightfully quiet near him as opposed to the chaos he could see ahead.

As he approached the pool building from behind, hands stuffed casually in his pockets while he wandered slowly enough to eat up more time, Seijuurou's quiet whistling came to an abrupt halt when he realised that he could hear... _something._

Frowning, Seijuurou glanced around, not seeing the source of the quiet voices he could just barely hear. It was still too early for anyone to be at the pool, but the closer he got to the gym the more obvious the voices became, until he could make out the low sounds of the hushed conversation.

“Running out of time, Rin,” a male voice that Seijuurou didn't recognise said quietly, but the name piqued his interest enough that he crept a little closer, still trying to see where the two people were.

“One more, then,” a voice that _definitely_ belonged to the swim team's captain said, quickly followed by a dull thud and strange, slightly wet sounds. Seijuurou could have sworn that he knew what those sounds were, but they _couldn't be…_

Eventually, Seijuurou noticed the two people tucked away in a little alcove against the back of the gym, tightly pressed against each other and very obviously making out frantically, proving Seijuurou right as to the origin of the wet sounds. Seijuurou stepped back to where he couldn't be seen, but not before he got a good look at the couple.

Rin's red hair was obvious, but Seijuurou only saw the back of whoever was pressing Rin into the wall, making him a little harder to identify. Judging from the dark-haired man's height and how broad his shoulders were, Seijuurou could only assume that it was Yamazaki Sousuke who was desperately gripping Rin's hips, and who had Rin's hand buried in his hair as they kissed.

Regardless of who the second man was, though, it was painfully obvious to Seijuurou that it definitely wasn't Nanase, unless the lean swimmer had gone through one hell of a growth spurt since Seijuurou had last seen him.

And as much as Seijuurou didn't want to think the worst about Rin, he was ninety percent sure that Rin and Nanase had been dating since the year before, even if Rin didn't seem to want to talk about his boyfriend. Seeing him secretly making out with Yamazaki behind the gym made Seijuurou feel sick to the bottom of his stomach, but he clung to the hope that he was somehow wrong about Rin and Nanase, and that Rin _wasn't_ actually cheating on his boyfriend with his best friend.

Turning on his heel, Seijuurou began walking away from the gym, heading back to the train station. He couldn't go to practice and act natural with Rin and Sousuke, considering what he'd just witnessed.

Still, he hoped he was wrong, and there was only one way he could think of to find out. Once he was on the train, he pulled out his phone and set to composing a message to Tachibana. It took him longer than it should have to figure out exactly what to say, trying to prod out an answer without tipping Tachibana off to something possibly being wrong.

As bad as he felt about the whole situation, Seijuurou had to admit that he liked having an excuse to talk to Tachibana. He was actually disappointed that they'd only struck up a friendship once he'd graduated and moved to Tokyo, because as he'd discovered, Tachibana was a great guy who always managed to put a smile on Seijuurou's face.

He'd been a little taken aback when he'd first received a very formal, polite email from Tachibana, timidly requesting some information about the university Seijuurou had started attending. He'd never really had much to do with the Iwatobi captain before that, but the more they talked the more Seijuurou decided that he liked Tachibana.

When a reply came back from the other man, Seijuurou sighed heavily with relief, drawing a few looks from other people on the train. It felt like a literal weight had been lifted from him when he read that Rin hadn't actually been cheating, but had just been trying to catch a few private moments with his _boyfriend_.

Briefly considering going back to Samezuka and catching the end of practice, Seijuurou eventually decided otherwise and set to messaging Tachibana again, explaining his out-of-the-blue question and once again reminding Tachibana that his use of honorifics wasn't necessary.

It was kind of sweet how polite Tachibana was, but sometimes it made Seijuurou feel like Tachibana was elevating him just a little too much.

When a reply came through, Seijuurou noticed that the reminder had been taken to heart, but prior experience told him that Tachibana would go right back to calling him 'san' or 'senpai' within another day or so. Seijuurou was aware that he was grinning like an idiot as he thought about Tachibana, but he honestly didn't care. The other man just made him happy.

> _From: Tachibana  
>  Subject: Re: Re: Re: Quick question  
>  Message: Sorry, Mikoshiba. Haru's single, but I guess I can see why you might think something was happening between he and Rin. Sousuke and Rin are very cute together, though._

As Seijuurou was smiling over that message, another one came through, and he quickly flicked over to the new message, hoping that it would be from Tachibana and not someone else.

> _From: Tachibana  
>  Subject: Something else  
>  Message: Oh, I almost forgot! I'm going to be in Tokyo soon for university tours, maybe we could meet up for coffee or something?_

“Yes!” Seijuurou said out loud, ignoring the way that the young woman next to him shuffled away slightly. Just as he started to type out a reply, a sudden idea occurred to him, and he tapped his feet in excitement as he deleted the message.

It felt like it took _forever_ for his stop to come, but the moment Seijuurou was off the train he had his phone pressed to his ear, waiting for Tachibana to answer the call. He had something to say that would probably work better outside of a mail, and he just hoped that Tachibana would agree.

“Hello?” Tachibana said when the call connected, sounding like he was even happier than usual about something.

“Hey Tachibana,” Seijuurou replied, making his way through the station and towards the exit. “So you're gonna be in my neck of the woods soon?”

“Yeah, in about three weeks,” Tachibana said happily. Seijuurou quickly worked out the dates in his head and smiled even wider than he already was, thanking his lucky stars and hoping that Tachibana would take him up on the offer he was about to make.

“How long for? And do you have somewhere to stay?”

Tachibana hummed quietly before answering, still sounding even happier than he normally did. It made his voice sound wonderful, in Seijuurou's opinion. “I'll be arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday so that I don't miss too much school. I'm planning on booking a hotel later today, hopefully it won't be too expensive.”

“That's kinda why I called,” Seijuurou said, trying to sound welcoming without coming across as too desperate. He didn't want to make Tachibana feel pressured, no matter how much he hoped that Tachibana would accept his invitation. “How would you feel about staying with me? I have a whole apartment to myself, and it won't cost you anything except the pleasure of your company.”

“Oh, I don't want to intrude,” Tachibana said, immediately and predictably. Seijuurou laughed as he stepped out of the station and back into the warmth of the afternoon, walking on autopilot towards his parents' house.

“You could never. So what do you say? If you really don't want to, then we'll just go for coffee like you said, but I'd love it if you'd stay with me.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Tachibana laughed gently, “I can only say yes. Thank you, Mikoshiba. I really appreciate it.”

Seijuurou beamed with pride at causing the genuine happiness in Tachibana's voice, already thoroughly excited for the forthcoming visit. He was going to see Tachibana, and maybe he should take a closer look at just why the thought of seeing the other man made him so happy, but he didn't care. He just wanted to enjoy the feeling for a little longer.

“No worries, Tachibana. So anyway, what've you been up to?”


	2. See The Sights

Makoto could barely sit still, and he was fairly certain that he was disturbing the poor man next to him but for once, he just couldn't bring himself to care as much as he should have.

He'd been on the trains for six hours, and he felt a little cramped and awkward despite the relative comfort of the shinkansen seats, but none of that mattered. Seijuurou was meeting him at Tokyo station, and his train was due to arrive there in less than five minutes.

On one hand, Makoto felt a little anxious about spending an entire weekend at Seijuurou's apartment when his crush on the man hadn't lessened at all, but on the other he was just so excited to have such unrestrained access to Seijuurou and his life.

The station announcement made Makoto jolt, and it was with shaking hands that he put his book back into his bag and gathered his things together. He and Seijuurou had already worked out where they were going to meet, but he kept his phone in his hand regardless, not wanting to keep Seijuurou waiting if something went wrong.

He quickly realised that he needn't have worried, though. Seijuurou's tall, tanned form was easy to spot where he was casually leaning against a wall near the ticket offices, and Makoto tried not to smile too widely as he walked over to him, not wanting to look like a fool in front of Seijuurou.

The other man's attention was clearly on the phone in his hand and he didn't notice Makoto until he was right next to Seijuurou, greeting him happily.

“Hi, Mikoshiba-san. Thanks for coming to get me."

“Hey, no problem!” Seijuurou grinned when he finally noticed Makoto's presence, leaning forward to clap him on the back while tucking his phone into his pocket. “And I've _told_ you about the 'san' thing. Actually, because you're here now, just call me Seijuurou. If you're staying with me this weekend then you can call me by my first name.”

“Thanks again for that,” Makoto said, smiling at Miko-... _Seijuurou's_ enthusiasm. “Then if I'm staying with you, then you can call me Makoto.”

“Fair enough. Anyway Makoto, you ready to get on another train?”

Makoto groaned playfully, making Seijuurou laugh. It was a beautiful sound that he'd never, _ever_ get sick of, and it was even better in person than it was over the phone.

As Seijuurou directed Makoto towards the line they needed to take to his apartment, he gently knocked into Makoto's side, smiling when Makoto looked over at him. Makoto's arm tingled where Seijuurou touched him and he felt himself start to flush as those gold eyes looked him over, caught between preening over Seijuurou's attention and shying away from it.

“So how many unis are you here to check out?”

They quickly fell into casual conversation, Makoto marvelling at just how comfortable he felt with Seijuurou. While he'd been captain at Samezuka, Makoto had often felt a little intimidated by the tall, boisterous redhead who just seemed so much more _capable_ than Makoto thought he could ever be himself. The Samezuka swim club was so much bigger than Iwatobi's, after all, and yet Seijuurou had thoroughly kept everyone under control; it hadn't been too much of a stretch for Makoto to see him as an untouchable, daunting figure.

He'd nearly felt sick with nerves the first time he'd reached out to Seijuurou by email, hoping that the man would be willing to help him out, and had been absolutely shocked when Seijuurou had answered any and all questions he'd had, plus filled him in with extra information that Makoto hadn't even considered.

The intimidating view that Makoto had originally held of Seijuurou had quickly melted away, replaced instead by his knowledge of Seijuurou being an open, friendly guy who could make Makoto laugh more than almost anyone else could. It really hadn't been too much of a shock when simple friendship had developed into a crush, considering that on top of everything else that Seijuurou had going for him, Makoto had always held a certain soft spot for redheads.

But he was fully prepared to never do anything about his crush on Seijuurou until it faded away on its own, more than happy to simply enjoy talking to him without any tension that a sure-to-be-rejected confession would bring.

As it was, their conversation continued until they were on the train to Seijuurou's apartment, where they eventually lapsed into a comfortable silence, only broken by the occasional apology when the carriage jolted and they lightly bumped into each other where they were standing in front of the unused door. Makoto knew that it could easily be solved if either of them took a small step to the side, but Seijuurou seemed content not to extend the distance between them and Makoto wasn't going to complain about the strong body brushing against his.

He _was_ vaguely curious about whomever Seijuurou kept texting during their train ride, but it would have been impolite to ask and he knew that anyone as wonderful as Seijuurou probably had piles upon piles of friends. He didn't feel like Seijuurou was ignoring him at all and so he didn't let it bother him, content to just watch Tokyo go by through the train windows.

“Oh hey, check it out!” Seijuurou suddenly announced, making Makoto jump when a hand tapped him on the forearm. “There's my building, we're getting off at the next stop.”

Seijuurou was pointing at one of the buildings in the distance, but as Makoto had no idea _which_ of the numerous apartment blocks he was referring to, he just smiled and nodded.

“God, that was really dumb of me,” Seijuurou laughed as he realised just how many apartments were in that general direction, tipped off by Makoto's weak attempt at understanding. “I promise, my university has higher standards than my stupidity would have you believe.”  
  
“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Makoto murmured, drawing a blindingly wide smile from Seijuurou. The man swayed to the side to gently bump against Makoto, completely on-purpose this time, affectionately tapping their shoulders together in a show of appreciation.  
  
“ You’re so nice , Makoto,” he said while still grinning madly, his words and expression making Makoto’s heart beat a little faster. Looking down at the carriage floor, Makoto tried to will away his blush, not wanting Seijuurou to mock him for how easily flustered he was.  
  
He eventually opened his mouth to reply, only to be cut off by the clear voice of the station announcement calling out the name of the next stop. Rather than try to save the conversation, Makoto decided to instead focus on slinging his bag over his shoulder, digging through it to find where he’d tucked away his wallet with his IC card in it.  
  
Walking behind Seijuurou was enough to make Makoto feel like a horrible pervert, but he just couldn’t help the fact that he could barely drag his eyes away from strong muscles shifting under a fitted shirt. The more he tried to stop staring at those broad shoulders, the more he started to notice Seijuurou’s ass in his jeans, and _thank god_ Seijuurou wasn’t attempting to talk to him right then and there.  
  
It was a real relief to eventually come out of the station, where he wasn’t trapped behind Seijuurou on narrow escalators that didn’t exactly give him a large variety of things to look at. However, Makoto hadn’t counted on the way that the late morning sun made Seijuurou’s bright hair and tanned skin glow, and _damn_ , he really had it bad.  
  
This was so, so much worse than being a child with an innocent crush on a friend, like he had been years ago with Rin. _This_ was like being smacked across the face every time that Seijuurou smiled at him, and kicked in the gut whenever Seijuurou touched him.  
  
He was looking forward to staying with Seijuurou over the weekend, but at the same time he had an awful feeling that some parts of it were going to be _torture_ .  
  
The walk to Seijuurou’s apartment went by in a blur of embarrassing thoughts, and Makoto could only hope that he wouldn’t be expected to try and find the place on his own any time soon. Now that he was seeing Seijuurou in person after so long, it was starting to become incredibly hard to think straight, and he couldn’t have remembered where they’d just walked without the help of a GPS.  
  
At least Seijuurou didn’t seem to notice his distraction, chattering away on his own and pointing things out to Makoto that he shamefully paid no attention to. From what little he could tell, Seijuurou's area seemed nice enough, and he had to admit that he felt a little comforted by the fact that if Seijuurou had to be alone in the big city, he was at least not living in immediate danger.  
  
Forcing himself to focus better, Makoto looked up at the building that Seijuurou stopped in front of, taking in the nondescript building that looked just like all the ones surrounding it.   
  
“Home sweet home,” Seijuurou laughed, immediately starting up the stairs in front of the building. “Not gonna bother with the lift, I'm only on the second floor and it takes more time than it's worth to get the damn thing to come down.”  
  
“That's fine,” Makoto said with a smile. He was the captain of a high school swim team; a few flights of stairs weren't enough to bother him. In any case, it was hardly any time at all before Seijuurou was unlocking a door, pushing it open and then stepping back to gesture Makoto inside before him.  
  
The first thing Makoto noticed was just how _clean_ the apartment was. With places as small as were generally found in Tokyo, Makoto knew that it was easy for things to look cluttered and untidy, but Seijuurou's apartment was far more organised than Makoto would have expected from him.  
  
He decided to tell Seijuurou as much, knowing that the redhead wouldn't be offended. He was proven right when Seijuurou just laughed, sounding loud and utterly joyful in the small space.  
  
“Makoto, I'm a big guy. I feel cramped enough in here without having crap everywhere.”  
  
It was just then that Makoto was hit by a sudden wave of embarrassment, realising that the apartment really _was_ small. Probably too small for two people to be staying in.  
  
“ I-I'm really sorry, Seijuurou,” he stammered out, fiddling with the bottom hem of his shirt as Seijuurou looked at him, head cocked to the side in confusion.  
  
“What for?”  
  
“You really didn't have to let me stay with you, I don't want to be taking up your space. If I made you feel like you had to ask, or-”  
  
“Makoto.”  
  
“-something like that, then I really do apologise, and-”  
  
“ _Makoto._ ”  
  
“-I can go find somewhere with a vacancy, really, it's no bother. I'm fine-”  
  
“MAKOTO!”  
  
Stammering to a halt, face feeling like it was actually burning, Makoto finally heard Seijuurou and cringed away, hunching his shoulders in from a habit he'd been trying so hard to break.  
  
“Hey, hey,” Seijuurou said, stepping forward and putting his hand on Makoto's shoulder, squeezing gently. “I offered, it's fine. Besides, I have people here all the time, there's plenty of room for a futon in the main room . A friend of mine from the university 's American football team stayed over last month and he's _huge_ . There's no problem, I want you here.”  
  
“...Thank you,” Makoto finally remembered to say, a little quieter than he'd meant to as worry still made his gut twist . Seijuurou's smile in return wasn't as broad as usual, but Makoto could practically feel the warmth behind it, and the large hand on his shoulder squeezed again before patting him twice and pulling away.  
  
“Smile, kiddo,” Seijuurou announced, “This way we get to hang out. Gotta catch up on all that time we missed back when I was still at Samezuka but we never really spoke, right?”  
  
“ Right,” Makoto mumbled back, but it was impossible for him to ignore the way that Seijuurou's attitude and absolutely _genuine_ nature made him feel, and he found himself mirroring Seijuurou's smile sooner rather than later.  
  
“There we go. Anyway, you hungry? We should head to one of the restaurants I pointed out along the way. Any preferences?”  
  
“ You choose,” Makoto said mostly out of necessity, considering the fact that he hadn't noticed a single one of them. Seijuurou just shook his head with a playful sigh, mistaking it for Makoto exercising his usual selfless nature, but immediately started describing his favourite of the nearby restaurants.  
  
Even with such a mundane topic, Makoto was struck by just how _passionate_ Seijuurou was about it. He could make even something as everyday as lunch sound like a special experience, and Makoto once again felt his worries melting away, replaced instead by the sense of comfort that Seijuurou usually gave him.  
  
The twisting sensation was still attacking his stomach, but at least it was back to being from his crush instead of a terrifying sense of worry. 

* * *

Their weekend together passed so much quicker than Makoto hoped it would, especially with one entire day taken up by attending the different open campuses that he wanted to. Unfortunately he was feeling like Seijuurou's university wasn't going to be the best fit for him, but there was one on the other side of Tokyo that he was quite excited about, and Seijuurou was gleeful in encouraging him to aim for whatever was going to make him happiest.  
  
“Look,” Seijuurou had said over dinner on Saturday night, when Makoto had confided in him, “No point going somewhere you don't even like, right? Besides, if you decide to come to Tokyo, we can still hang out all the time even if we're going to different schools.”  
  
Makoto smiled to himself as he packed up his bag, the memory of Seijuurou's earnest positivity making him feel so very happy. The redhead had been nothing but gracious, helpful and friendly over the entire weekend, if not a little bit more physically affectionate than most people would consider to be proper.  
  
Makoto wasn't going to complain about that, though. He'd found himself time and time again thinking about how it would be to actually date Seijuurou; where other couples that he knew, like Rin and Sousuke, tended to be a little more reserved in public, he had no doubt that Seijuurou wouldn't see anything wrong with holding hands or otherwise being a bit close in public.  
  
It was a nice thought, and one he might have entertained just a little too much over the past few days. He'd actually found himself on more than one occasion thinking that he just might have had a chance with the redhead. Seijuurou was so open about the fact that he enjoyed Makoto's company, and sometimes it felt like his playful jibes were _just_ on the more innocent side of flirtatious, to the point where Makoto let himself believe that maybe they could really have something.  
  
Maybe it was something that he should bring up with Seijuurou once he was safely back in Iwatobi, and he could think about what he wanted to write before he actually sent it. That would be the safest option, right?  
  
“All packed up?”  
  
Makoto jolted at the sound of Seijuurou's voice, clutching a hand to his chest as he whirled around to see the other man standing in his bedroom doorway. Knowing exactly what he'd done, Seijuurou grinned victoriously and then wandered into the main room, patting Makoto on top of the head as he walked towards the small kitchen area. “Sorry.”  
  
“No you're not,” Makoto laughed gently, swallowing a little hard as he realised the lack of length in the running shorts Seijuurou was wearing. Those legs were so long and well-muscled...Makoto only barely shook himself back to life as Seijuurou turned around, holding an empty tea container with a look of dismay on his face.  
  
“Shit, I forgot we finished this yesterday. Oh, hey, when's your train? How much time do we have?”  
  
Makoto put his packed bag down, pulling his phone from his pocket and checking what the display said. “Still a bit over three hours, I think.”  
  
“If you're keen, I know a quiet coffee shop pretty much between here and your Shinkansen station. It's usually pretty dead on Sunday mornings, so do you wanna get some breakfast before you have to go?”  
  
More than happy to do one last thing with Seijuurou, Makoto nodded, pointedly not watching as Seijuurou walked back to the bedroom to get changed into something a little more appropriate to leave the apartment in.  
  
It was yet another clear day as Seijuurou walked him back to the station, quizzing him about his own training schedule and whether he thought it would be enough to keep him in contention for a university spot. Makoto wasn't exactly sure, but Seijuurou was encouraging, and he admittedly loved hearing the former Samezuka captain say that he thought Makoto was a good swimmer.  
  
He was still feeling a little giddy over it when Seijuurou directed him off the train at a station he'd never been to before, the redhead expertly walking through the busy area and then through back street after back street until he stopped in front of a small cafe.  
  
Once again, Seijuurou held the door open for Makoto, and the younger man made his way over to the counter. The older woman standing behind it greeted him politely before looking over his shoulder, her eyes brightening as she greeted Seijuurou by name. Seijuurou stepped up right behind Makoto as he greeted the woman back, close enough that Makoto could feel the heat of his body.  
  
“Excuse me,” the woman said before turning away from the counter towards the back room and calling out, “Mikoshiba-san's here!”  
  
“Thanks,” Seijuurou said, moving so that he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Makoto. The younger man watched the whole thing with vague bemusement, but he once again wasn't surprised that Seijuurou apparently made friends wherever he went. “I feel like I haven't seen him in ages, he's been stuck here with you every day that he's not at school .”  
  
“Didn't you two go out for dinner on Thursday night?” The woman said with no small amount of snark, making Seijuurou give his usual gleeful laugh.  
  
“Seems like forever,” the redhead replied, a hand pressed to his chest in mock wistfulness. “Anyway, Makoto, this is Murakata-san, she owns this place.”  
  
Makoto smiled politely and introduced himself, complimenting the woman on how nice the cafe looked. His attention was soon grabbed by the back door opening up, a young man probably around a similar age to himself and Seijuurou walking towards them.  
  
He was an inch or two shorter than Makoto, and although he looked quite fit he wasn't anywhere near as broad as Makoto or Seijuurou. Still, Makoto noticed that he was quite a good looking guy, and he gave a friendly smile when the man came to stand beside Murakata-san.  
  
Makoto wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to happen next , but it certainly wasn't for Seijuurou to glance around the nearly-empty cafe before leaning over the counter, taking the young man's face in his hands and quickly kissing him on the lips.  
  
Oh god, he was going to be sick.  
  
“Makoto, this is my boyfriend, Sanada Juurouta. I know I haven't told you about him, but it's still pretty new, so I haven't really been telling anyone.”   
  
Makoto was fairly certain that he performed the most impolite introduction of his life right then and there, his gut rolling uncomfortably and his entire body feeling like it was quaking. Seijuurou was looking at him oddly but he didn't even notice, too busy trying to focus on anything except the painfully loud roaring in his ears.  
  
Quickly telling Murakata-san an order, _any_ order, Makoto took unsteady steps to the nearest table, pretending to be focused on admiring the décor on the opposite side of the room to where Seijuurou and _his boyfriend_ were.  
  
Seijuurou hadn't said a thing, he hadn't even hinted that...that…  
  
Swallowing repeatedly, Makoto tried to quell the queasy feeling in his gut, unsuccessfully making attempt after attempt to calm down and stop his world from falling to pieces around him.   
  
“You okay, Makoto?” Seijuurou said once he joined Makoto and sat down , his concern obvious on his face. Makoto clenched his shaking hands together under the table and mustered the best smile he was able, his skin feeling like it was stretched too tight over his face.  
  
“I'm fine,” he replied as evenly as he could, hoping that the crushing feeling in his chest would go away before he burst into ugly, embarrassing tears right then and there. He didn't remember getting and emptying his drink then finishing up at the cafe, much less making his way to the Shinkansen station, but before he knew it he was back on the train home, feeling like everything he'd ever wanted had been ripped away just when it had seemed to almost be in his grasp.  
  
But he could be strong. He could act like nothing was wrong .  
  
Even though this felt a million times worse than it had when he'd thought that Seijuurou was interested in Rin, he could keep going.  
  
He didn't really have a choice, after all.


	3. Somebody Needs To Start Getting A Room

After his Tokyo trip, for Makoto things between him and Seijuurou became, in a word, _weird._

But if Seijuurou happened to notice that Makoto's replies were a little shorter and took a little longer to come, then he didn't kick up a fuss or even mention it at all. It was a start, Makoto supposed.

He really didn't want to stop being friends with Seijuurou, not over something as silly as an unrequited crush. He'd told himself a million times that Seijuurou hadn't been trying to hurt him, hadn't known that one little kiss would tear Makoto's heart into tiny little pieces, and now that it had been a couple of weeks he was finally believing it completely.

One consolation, at least, was that Seijuurou didn't really mention his boyfriend during their chats and emails. Occasionally his name would pop up, and those emails usually weren't replied to, but for the most part Seijuurou just talked about his- apparently _massive_ \- group of friends as a whole. Despite everything, it still made Makoto happy to know that Seijuurou was doing well on his own in the city, and his anecdotes about what he and his friends got up to sometimes left Makoto crying from helpless laughter.

It made a nice change from the rather shameful amount of crying he'd done the first few days after returning from Tokyo, but there were still times when Makoto wished that he would get the chance to see these things first hand, standing by Seijuurou's side and right where he wanted to be.

A familiar twinge of guilt hit Makoto at the thought, making him wince as he remembered just how rude he felt whenever he thought about that hypothetical group of new friends. His own friends were the only reason he hadn't shut down completely after his first real heartbreak, but maybe that was just him being a little over-dramatic.

Even though Makoto had only told Haru what had actually happened, the others had still helped in their own ways when they'd noticed that he was uncharacteristically down. Nagisa's cheerful attitude alone was utterly infectious, and even at his worst Makoto hadn't been able to stop himself from laughing whenever Rei was unwilling dragged into being the straight man for Nagisa's antics.

Gou had been on the absolute opposite end of the spectrum, coming up with new training routines that had Makoto working until he didn't have the spare energy to think about any other redheads. It might have seemed mean if she hadn't teamed it with just the right amounts of praise, making Makoto feel like he was so much better than whatever his negative thoughts tried to have him believe.

And Haru was, well, _Haru_ , the one person that Makoto knew he could rely on for anything. Despite his complete apathy towards romance, Haru had listened intently to Makoto's whole sordid tale, letting him get it off his chest and try to work through things a little. He hadn't bothered to try and offer any advice, but Makoto didn't begrudge Haru that, considering the fact that he had neither the experience nor the inclination regarding that kind of thing.

Altogether, it hadn't taken long for Makoto to dig himself out of his little hole, but that didn't mean that he'd stopped feeling a weird mix of attraction and hurt whenever he thought about Seijuurou. He was well-aware that his crush on the older man hadn't even started to fade, and he knew that was the next thing he needed to handle. He desperately wanted to keep being Seijuurou's friend, but he wasn't sure if he could do that while wanting nothing more than to kiss him.

...Maybe what he needed to do was think about someone else, see if he couldn't move his attentions elsewhere while maintaining his friendship with Seijuurou.

It was with that thought in mind that Makoto threw himself into the next week, trying to actively consider whether or not he was attracted to the people around him. There was a boy in his maths class who he supposed was kind of cute, and another in his literature class, but neither of them could possibly have matched up well against Seijuurou.

Even the slightly older men he passed in the street didn't appeal to him: they were too short, too pale, too non-athletic, too _not-Seijuurou_. There just wasn't anyone who could apparently live up to the ideal that Makoto had created in his head, and it was driving him mad. At times he wasn't even sure if Seijuurou himself could measure up to the ideal image of him that Makoto realised he'd been holding onto.

As distracted as he was, it wasn't particularly surprising that Makoto wasn't exactly having the best training session of his life at the end of a long week. If they'd been at Iwatobi, that wouldn't have been a problem, but he felt like an absolute failure next to the laser-focused Samezuka boys that they were training with.

Seijuurou's younger brother had outpaced him by what felt like a lifetime, and Makoto was fairly certain that only half of that could be attributed to the creeping knowledge that Momotarou was in fact Seijuurou's younger brother.

Trying not to let his face show how disappointed he was with himself, Makoto pulled himself out of the pool and looked around, trying to gauge where his team were. He couldn't see Nagisa but he could _hear_ him, which while not exactly reassuring still let him know that the boy was in close proximity; Haru was of course still powering up and down the pool; and Makoto couldn't help but smile a little as he noticed Rei listening intently to something that Sousuke was telling him, the look on his face one of pure concentration.

At least _they_ were doing well, Makoto decided as he watched some of the Samezuka boys start to make their way over to the locker room. Knowing from experience that it was easier to get in earlier before the majority of the team started changing, Makoto wandered over to where Haru was just about to reach the end of the pool, waving to catch the other boy's attention before he tried to start another lap.

Surprisingly enough, Haru only glared for a moment before pulling himself out of the pool, tugging off his goggles and running a hand through his wet hair. “Are we leaving?”

Makoto smiled at how reluctant Haru sounded, not wanting to ruin his best friend's fun but still knowing that they would be stuck there all night if Haru got his way. “Soon. You should go and change while I round up Nagisa, I think he's bothering Nitori-kun again and the poor boy doesn't deserve th-...oh no, you don't!”

Reacting quickly when Haru turned around and obviously went to dive back into the pool to fit in a few more laps before they absolutely had to leave, Makoto hooked his arms around Haru's waist and physically lifted him away from the edge of the pool, shaking his head in dismay. It was a familiar action, and not for the first time Makoto was grateful for Haru's smaller, lighter stature.

Thankfully this time Haru got the message, and under Makoto's watchful eye he disappeared into the locker room, surrounded by the gloomy air he almost always got whenever he was forced out of the pool. It was enough to lift some of Makoto's own gloom and he laughed softly, able to turn his attention to the others now that Haru was safely away from the water. He was pleased to see Sousuke helping Rei out of the water, and now all that was left was to track down Nagisa.

Following the sounds of gleeful laughter, he found Nagisa sitting and talking to a couple of Samezuka swimmers whom he couldn't quite name, and he gestured to the younger boy to let him know that it was time to get going. Nagisa bounced to his feet and grinned, waving goodbye to the others as he jogged off to the locker room.

“Please don't run around the pool, Nagisa,” Makoto called more out of habit than anything else, knowing that staying silent would probably have had the exact same effect for all the attention that Nagisa paid to his words. Still, he knew that Nagisa wasn't doing it out of disrespect, so his small smile remained as he followed the rest of his team into the locker room, intent on getting out of there as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately his peaceful mood quickly evaporated as he began to towel off and get changed, deciding that a shower could wait until he got home. He was maybe halfway done when he suddenly remembered just who had spent three years in that very locker room, often completely naked and with water dripping down his tight, muscular body…

Nearly choking on his spit, Makoto rushed to get dressed, knowing that he probably looked like an absolute mess but not caring if it meant that he got out without getting a _very_ awkward hard-on. Walking towards the door, he pulled out his phone with the intention of checking his messages once he left the locker room, only to freeze in place when he heard Rei shriek and Nagisa giggle.

Dropping both his bag and his phone on some empty bench space by the door, Makoto turned and immediately separated the two, only leaving the locker room once Rei had slunk out of the door, face still red from whatever it was that Nagisa had done to him. Still distracted from his earlier unbidden thoughts about the man who was clouding his mind, Makoto only barely remembered to grab his bag on his way out of the door, settling next to Rei as they leant against the wall beside the locker room and watched the last few stragglers practice.

Rin was still calling things to the swimmers, standing tall with his shoulders pulled back and looking every inch the competent captain he had become, and Makoto was struck with a sudden sense of pride for his friend. Rin had tried so hard for so long, and it looked like things were coming to fruition for him.

It didn't take too long before Nagisa slammed through the door to join them, Haru following soon after and finishing off their little team as Gou came to stand with them. Makoto took the chance to congratulate everyone on their good work before wandering over to Rin, politely waiting until he'd finished talking to a freestyle swimmer before bidding him goodbye.

“Thank you for having us again, Rin. I- _We_ really appreciate you letting us use your facilities.”

“Hey, no worries,” Rin smiled, sharp teeth flashing a little under the pool lights. “It was good enough for Captain Mikoshiba to have you guys here, so it's definitely good enough for me.”

Trying not to react at Rin's casual mention of Seijuurou, Makoto smiled a little awkwardly and ended the conversation, leading his team out of the gym and into the cool weather outside. They were most of the way to the station when Nagisa suddenly tugged on Makoto's arm, somehow still possessing the energy of several people despite the training session they'd just finished.

“When's the next train, Mako-chan? Are we going to have enough time to buy something to eat first?”

“Hang on, I've got it all written down in my phone,” Makoto laughed, shrugging his bag off his shoulder and opening the inside pocket that he kept his phone in for safekeeping. His breath caught a little when he realised that it wasn't there, but he tried his best to stay calm as he sorted through everything in his bag.

“You okay?” Haru asked quietly, easily able to see through Makoto's fairly pathetic attempts at putting on a calm air.

Abandoning the charade, Makoto spun on his heel and looked at Haru with sad eyes. “My phone's not in my bag, I think I've lost it! I can't afford to buy a new one right now, what am I going to do?”

All of his messages from Seijuurou were on there, as were a few photos of the two of them together from Makoto's Tokyo trip that he hadn't been able to bring himself to delete, and although he would never admit it, the idea of losing that data was the driving force of his sadness. He was usually so good about backing up his data, so all of his older photos were safely copied on his computer, but he hadn't been able to even look at his Tokyo photos, much less back them up.

He could feel himself starting to panic, and his hands were shaking just a little where they were clenched around his bag.

“Don't worry, Makoto-senpai,” Rei started, his voice barely penetrating the fog that had descended around Makoto's brain. “We'll think this through logically. Do you remember where you last had it?”

Forcing himself to breathe, Makoto ran a hand through his hair and heaved a sigh, trying his best to concentrate. “I remember putting it in my bag before training...and I checked to make sure it was there before we left school...”

Trying desperately to remember what had happened after that, Makoto felt light-headed when the answer finally hit him, his breath leaving him in a rush as he clutched at his chest. “I put it down in the locker room. I must not have picked it back up again.”

“Are you sure?” Haru asked, brow furrowed in concern. Makoto shot him a relieved smile, feeling his pulse return to a normal, non-anxious rate.

“Yeah, I'm certain. It should either still be there, or someone will have given it to Rin or their supervisor, so I'm going to run back and get it. You guys go on ahead, okay? I'll message you when I've got it back.”

Not listening to any protests, Makoto ushered the others toward the station, ignoring the slightly worried look Gou had on her face. Putting his bag back on, he jogged off in the opposite direction, only feeling a little out of breath by the time he made it back to the Samezuka pool. It was a little eerie to see the building so quiet and empty, with everyone apparently having left and Rin nowhere in sight.

Deciding that the best course of action would be to check the locker room first before asking around to find out whether anyone had handed his phone in, Makoto pushed through the door, only to pull up short when he was greeted by just about the last sight he'd ever expected.

The muscles of Sousuke's back flexed under the fluorescent lights of the locker room, naked skin leading down until it met the low-hanging waistband of his sweat pants, and one of his thighs was shoved between Rin's legs where the smaller swimmer was crowded against a row of lockers. Rin was obviously _very_ naked, with one of his arms wrapped around Sousuke's neck and his head tipped to one side to allow for Sousuke's lips to be attached to his pale neck, Sousuke's hands firmly holding onto Rin's waist like he never wanted to let his boyfriend go.

Makoto's embarrassing shout escaped him before he could help it, slapping a hand over his eyes and trying to come up with something, _anything_ to say that could possibly help with the awkwardness of having interrupted his friends in the middle of irresponsibly public sex.

“What?” Sousuke said as the silence started to stretch, sounding thoroughly irritated and making Makoto cringe with further embarrassment.

He barely managed to pull himself together, still squeezing his eyes shut and keeping his hand firmly over them for good measure. “I-I just wanted to get my phone!”

His voice sounded far more panicked than he would have liked, and Makoto could barely breathe with how hot his face and neck felt like they were burning. As soon as Sousuke directed him towards where his phone was apparently sitting, Makoto turned away and stared at the floor, determined not to let his eyes wander for even a millisecond.

His whole body was shaking as he followed Sousuke's gruff instruction, and apologies spilled out of his mouth uncontrollably, only getting worse when he stumbled over his feet once, twice, and very nearly for a third time.

Any relief Makoto felt at having his phone in his hand was thoroughly drowned out by sheer embarrassment as he darted back out of the locker room, finally lifting his gaze from the floor and only barely managing to avoid immediately dropping the phone due to his quaking hands.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” he whispered to himself once he was safely out of the gym, sagging back against the door that had loudly slammed shut behind him. His heart was racing uncomfortably and adrenaline was pumping around his whole body, but none of that dampened the horrifying realisation that he very reluctantly glanced down to confirm.

The track pants he was wearing did _very little_ to disguise the fact that he was achingly hard, and it was only the terrifying thought of Rin and Sousuke coming out to find him in that condition that had him taking off towards the station in a dead sprint, hoping that the discomfort of running like that would convince his body to calm down.

He'd wanted something else, had pushed and pushed himself to be turned on by someone, some _thing_ other than Mikoshiba Seijuurou, but…

 _Not like this_.

_Not **them.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've managed to avoid any contradictions between this chapter and [chapter one of It's Up To You](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3228839), but if anything sticks out as being wrong please let me know!


	4. It's The Perfect Plan

If he'd thought that the weeks earlier were tough, Makoto now knew that they'd had nothing on what he was going through now.

Rin and Sousuke were his friends, and on top of that they were _together_ , but Makoto just couldn't get the thought of them out of his head. Rin wasn't too much of a surprise, considering that he had been the catalyst for Makoto realising that he was gay years earlier, but Sousuke was definitely a new element in the unbidden dreams that Makoto now found himself having.

It certainly couldn't help that Sousuke was very similar in build to Seijuurou, giving him that certain something that Makoto couldn't find in the other men he'd tried to make himself like.

Makoto spent the next fortnight feeling like there was a heavy weight in his stomach, guilt weighing him down whenever he thought about Rin or Sousuke, the feeling stronger but certainly not more welcome than the flashes of hurt he still got whenever he felt about Seijuurou.

Maybe Haru had the right idea, he found himself thinking on more than one occasion, only to then feel bad about trivialising his best friend's own troubles. It wasn't like he could just wish himself into being unaffected by the idea of sex or relationships, anyway.

Instead, he found that he just had to live with the guilt of wanting his friends, friends whom he had rudely intruded upon during what should have been a private moment. He hadn't been allowed to see _that_ , and so it followed that he shouldn't have been using it as fodder to get off with, but…

Every time he tried to relax with his hand, the faceless bodies in his imagination became one of three people, none more acceptable than the others. All three of them were in relationships, and all three were his friends, and he had no right to be using fantasies of them to masturbate.

If it was at all possible, things were even worse when he wasn't alone in his room. Every time that someone mentioned either Rin or Sousuke around Makoto, he was _absolutely_ certain that they were going to call him out for the ideas of them that he found himself entertaining when he let his mind wander.

It was making him jumpy, and he couldn't help the creeping fear that everyone around him could tell what he was thinking, could pinpoint exactly what was putting the heat and colour in his cheeks whenever he began to daydream. It was wearing on him quickly, but he just couldn't figure out a way to make the paranoia stop.

It certainly didn't help that he seemed to lose control of his body whenever someone frightened him by mentioning Rin or Sousuke around him, the worry that people knew what was going on in his head making him clumsy and awkward. It didn't take long for his friends to realise exactly why he kept dropping things more than usual, and unfortunately Nagisa apparently found it to be quite a game.

He didn't blame the younger boy for finding some entertainment in it, because he was certain that Nagisa had no idea just how bad the whole thing was making him feel, but Makoto wished that he could make Nagisa stop without being cornered into telling his entire sordid tale.

He hadn't even told Haru about walking in on Rin and Sousuke, so there was no way that he was going to tell anyone else. Thankfully if his parents noticed his awkwardness, they didn't make a big deal out of it, and the twins were too young to realise that anything was going on at all.

Still, it was one bright spot in a dark tunnel to know that he would have the house to himself during the upcoming weekend and be able to relax, after two weeks of treading carefully around everything and everyone. It was exhausting to have to constantly police his thoughts, as well as keeping up his guard in an effort to stop from reacting to simple _names_ , and those two days of peace were probably the only thing that would stop him from breaking down completely.

He woke up late on Saturday, coming out of a surprisingly dreamless sleep and simply laying in bed for a while, letting his thoughts stay as a dull roar in his head without worrying too much about their contents. He loved his family but it was nice not having anyone bursting into his room, looking for his time and his attention.

After a leisurely shower and getting dressed in some of his more comfortable clothes, Makoto wandered into the kitchen, intent on finding something that he could have for lunch. His appetite hadn't been at its best lately, but food was seeming more appealing by the moment and he knew that his mum had thoroughly stocked the kitchen before leaving.

He'd just begun looking through the fridge for ideas when the doorbell rang, startling him out of his thoughts and back into the present. For a brief second, he hoped that it wasn't his friends intent on dragging him out, but the feeling quickly disappeared when he scolded himself for being so mean.

Of course, his friends might have been a better option than the pair he found standing at his front door, Rin and Sousuke coming into his house like something out of both his fantasies and his nightmares. Makoto only barely managed to remember his manners and invite them inside, feeling awkward and nervous when Rin did something as simple as _smile_ at him.

If they were going to tell him that they couldn't be his friend any more, how could he possibly react to that?

Stalling as he tried to figure out what was happening, he offered the pair drinks or food, cringing when he was rebuffed and Rin practically shepherded him into a chair. Sousuke was like a silent, looming bodyguard the entire time, and Makoto kept glancing nervously at him until he finally sat on the couch with Rin, the two of them too close to be mistaken for mere friends.

“What's going on, Makoto?”

They were only four words, but despite Makoto's best efforts to keep his private thoughts to himself, he soon found that Rin and Sousuke coaxed everything out of him, admissions that he'd never made to anyone else about childhood crushes and more recent fantasies. He wanted to hide himself away, but he didn't want either of the others to misunderstand anything about his odd behaviour.

If he let his eyes linger on both of them for a little too long when their attention was focused away from him, then he told himself that it was just a side effect of letting go of such an emotional weight. As long as they didn't catch him looking, he had plausible deniability on his side, and it didn't have to mean anything else.

When Rin and Sousuke took the news well, proclaiming the whole thing to be no big deal, Makoto nearly fainted from relief right then and there on the spot. He'd been so sure that they'd find him creepy, that they'd not want anything to do with him after he told them everything; but Rin's smile and Sousuke's quiet acceptance were more than he'd ever hoped for.

It was then that he realised how gross and clammy his skin felt from his anxiety, and he politely excused himself from the room, ducking into the bathroom and leaning heavily against the sink.

“They don't hate you,” Makoto quietly said to his reflection, pausing to splash water on his face and relieve some of his discomfort, “They really _don't hate you_.”

Laughing quietly in pure relief, feeling like the guilt in his stomach was finally starting to dissipate, he gave himself a few more moments before walking back to the living room, settling in the chair that was suddenly so much more comfortable than it had been just minutes earlier. Rin looked a little flushed, but Makoto chalked that up to their earlier conversation and tried not to think about what Sousuke and Rin might have been doing in the brief time he was out of the room.

“So how's your team going with training?” Makoto decided to ask, forcibly dragging the conversation back to something a little more normal.

“My boys look like they should do pretty well,” Rin said as his chest puffed up with pride, making Sousuke laugh with the kind of carefree joy that Makoto didn't think he'd heard from the man before.

“ _Your boys_ ,” Sousuke said, Makoto quickly joining in with his laughter.

“Does that mean the pair of you are the parents?” He asked, the urge to gently tease the other two feeling so good after all the turmoil he'd been going through. Even when Sousuke joined him, making it the two of them against Rin, it still felt good rather than mean-spirited.

“I shotgun being the dad.”

Rin groaned loudly in response to his boyfriend, pulling a face. “I might be the mother, but that still means Momo is your kid too.”

The look of mock disgust on Sousuke face surprised Makoto into even louder laughter, the sudden carefree feeling making him go until he thought he could feel happy tears almost leaking from his eyes.

All of his worries felt like they'd been wiped away in just moments, and so it was without thinking that he said, “Don't let Mikoshiba-senpai hear you saying that about his brother. He's pretty protective of him.”

His heart skipped a beat when Rin shot him a funny look, the sudden reminder of Seijuurou _almost_ enough to ruin Makoto's good mood. “When'd you spend enough time with Mikoshiba to figure that out? Didn't know you really spoke to that idiot.”

“He's not an idiot,” Makoto immediately forced out, frantically trying to figure out how much he could say without having to tell Sousuke and Rin the whole story. He'd already put his foot in it, but if he stuck close to the truth then maybe he could tell just a teeny tiny little lie by omission. “Okay, he can be a bit... _much_ sometimes, but we've been emailing for a while. His university was one of the ones I was considering applying to. Not for the swim team, I just like getting to know what students think about the school itself.”

He hoped that the other two didn't see him let out a relieved breath, his explanation sounding perfect to his own ears. He didn't have to tell them about their deepening friendship, his awkward crush or that he'd stayed with Seijuurou in Tokyo; besides, that _was_ exactly how their friendship had started off. It wasn't lying, not _really_.

When Rin casually accepted the explanation without questioning it further, Makoto relaxed back into his chair and just watched the other two, looking for any sign that they didn't believe him. He tried not to react when Sousuke easily slung his arm around Rin, but it was still a little awkward for him to see the pair of them _touching_ considering what else he'd seen them do.

Standing abruptly, he tried to cover his discomfort with offers of food, a little dismayed but unable to politely refuse when Sousuke insisted on helping him.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination that had him thinking that Sousuke was standing just that little bit too close when Makoto fetched glasses from a high cupboard, but he managed not to drop anything when Sousuke brushed past him, touching his arm when Makoto directed him towards the fridge.

He'd convinced himself that it really was in his head by the time that he was settled in the living room again, only to have Sousuke flip his world upside down when he leant forward in his chair, intense eyes staring right down into Makoto's soul.

“Look, Tachibana-kun, there's something else we want to ask you. Do you wanna sleep with us?”

The sound of blood rushing in his ears had Makoto certain that he'd misheard, and he struggled to find the words for what he wanted when Sousuke and Rin easily opened up about the fact that they actually found him _gorgeous_.

It took Makoto's breath away, and although he'd never done _anything_ like that before, he knew exactly what he wanted when Rin and Sousuke started to leave.

He didn't want to let them go out that door, and probably never come back. Maybe it was weird for him to have his first time with _two_ people, much less two people who m he wasn't even dating, but he _knew_ Rin and Sousuke. He trusted them as much as he trusted anyone else, and really…

It was like a fantasy come true.

“Wait. Wait, I...I think I'd like that. You. I...well, actually, I _know_ I'd like to...um...sleep with you two.”

The rest was a blur of movement and soothing words, Makoto knowing he'd made the right choice when Rin and Sousuke asked for his consent, letting him know that any of them could back out at any point. Any anxiety he might have felt about losing his virginity was far overshadowed by anticipation, and it was surprisingly easy enough to fight back any thoughts he might have had about a certain _other_ redhead who occupied his mind.

In the end, it was better than he could ever have expected. The two warm, strong bodies along his own made him feel safe even as they drove him to higher states of arousal than he'd ever thought possible, voices and hands and mouths making him shiver and shake with pleasure.

Actually getting to fuck Rin was a literal dream come true, and although Makoto felt like he might have come embarrassingly fast it didn't seem like either of the other two noticed or cared. When Sousuke immediately took Makoto's place inside Rin, it was a million times better than any porn Makoto had ever seen and he could just see how much the two loved each other.

He wanted that, and he knew who he wanted it with despite everything that had happened, but he forced the thought aside as he watched Rin clutch at the bed covers, letting out a truly erotic scream when he collapsed forward and came.

Makoto didn't even care about the mess Rin had made, too busy feeling utterly blown away when Sousuke let out his own deep grunt, their sexy bodies pressed close together as Sousuke finally came. Rin looked utterly out of it, and so the last thing Makoto expected was to look up and see Sousuke watching him, his expression softer than anything Makoto had ever seen from him.

“You okay, Tachibana?” Sousuke said quietly, back to last names now that they weren't actively having sex.

“Call me Makoto,” was the quick reply, and Sousuke's nod was good enough for Makoto. “I'm...yeah. I'm good, really good. Are you okay?”

Sousuke smiled just a little, reaching down to brush some of Rin's sweaty hair away from his glazed-over eyes. “Never better.”

“That was fun,” Rin finally decided to slur, stirring a little on the bed. Makoto looked down at his messy, sweaty form and grimaced a little, knowing that he couldn't possibly be comfortable.

“Yamazaki-kun.”

“Sousuke. It's fine to call me Sousuke.”

It felt like acceptance, and combined with the fantastic orgasm he'd just had, Makoto broke into a stupidly wide smile. “Sousuke, do you want to take Rin to get cleaned up?”

There was no awkwardness as Sousuke and Rin cleaned up, Makoto taking the chance to mostly redress and dump the come-stained quilt in a corner to be dealt with later. It felt natural to set up a lunch meeting for the next day and Makoto didn't feel empty as he watched the boyfriends leave, Sousuke's arm wound lovingly around Rin's waist.

Once they were out of sight he closed the door and stumbled to the living room, collapsing on the couch and resting his forearm across his eyes. He'd just lost his virginity to two of the men he'd been fantasising about, and he didn't feel anything even resembling regret or guilt.

A slowly-growing smile appeared on his face, and it was a good thirty minutes before he got himself off the couch and into the shower, mind replaying the good memories he'd just been blessed with.

* * *

Their lunch the next day was as casual as their outings had ever been, but Makoto suddenly found himself so much more comfortable with both Rin and Sousuke now that they'd seen pretty much all of each other.

It probably helped that Makoto had come to a few important conclusions about himself the night before, the loss of his guilt about Rin and Sousuke making everything that much easier to think about logically. He'd seen first hand how beautifully in love his friends were, and he wanted that with Seijuurou. Sleeping with Rin and Sousuke had just reiterated to him that there was only one person he really, truly wanted, even if he'd had the absolute time of his life with the other couple, and maybe they could help him figure out if he should try and go for what he wanted.

He'd been through weeks of agony without even telling Seijuurou how he felt, so how much worse could it really feel to be rejected? Maybe if he got his feelings off his chest, he'd be able to work through them easier.

Besides, as much as he loved Haru, his best friend wasn't exactly the greatest choice when it came to talking about relationships, but Rin and Sousuke had been there, done that.

It was with that thought in mind that Makoto brought up the subject towards the end of their lunch, once the meals had been finished and conversation was starting up again.

“Hey,” he said, drawing two pairs of eyes to him, “Is it okay if I ask you guys about...um, relationships?”

Sousuke looked a little wary but Rin sat forward in his seat, his body language open and encouraging. “What's up?”

Taking a deep breath, Makoto settled his elbows on the table, using his hands to prop up his chin. “Yesterday was...fun, _really_ fun, but I got to thinking last night.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Rin quipped, making Makoto huff a small laugh as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“It's so obvious how in love you two are, and...well, I really like, um, this guy.”

“You want to know how to ask him out?” Rin asked knowingly, rocking to the side and nudging Sousuke with his shoulder. “If he likes you back, there's really no wrong way.”

“That's not really the issue,” Makoto said quietly, leaning back in his chair and rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. “We're friends, but he...he has a boyfriend. Or he did about a month ago, he hasn't really mentioned him since.”

“Don't,” Sousuke suddenly said, making both Rin and Makoto stare at him. “Don't...try to confess if he's dating someone else. It's not fair.”

“But we don't even know if they're still dating,” Rin rebutted, turning back to Makoto. “When was the last time he mentioned the boyfriend?”

Shrugging, Makoto thought back to the last time he'd had to delete one of Seijuurou's messages without replying, feeling too hurt by a reminder of Seijuurou's boyfriend. “Maybe three weeks...four?”

“Okay, I never go like thirty minutes without talking about Sou. Are you sure they're still dating?”

Makoto shrugged again, and Rin sighed. “Look, give me your phone.”

“What?”

“Give me your phone. I'll put it on private number, call the guy and ask if he's single.” Rin grinned conspiratorially, like he'd just come up with the perfect plan.

Sousuke just rolled his eyes. “It'll never work.”

“And how do you know, Mister Future Seeing Guy?” Rin shot back, playfully jostling his boyfriend. “Worth a shot, isn't it?”

“I...I don't know,” Makoto said uncertainly, wondering if it was such a good idea to confess to Seijuurou now that he'd begun to talk it out with the others. “Maybe I should just let it go...”

“Makoto,” Rin said seriously, “How long have you been trying to get over this guy?”

“A little over a month,” Makoto admitted, a little embarrassed.

“And has anything worked?”

Makoto stared at the table, cheeks flushing red, “Not...not exactly.”

“Phone,” Rin said firmly, ignoring the way that Sousuke was shaking his head in defeat. It really spoke for itself how close Makoto was to the end of his rope when he slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket, going into the settings and turning his number to private.

A brief flash of genius had him deleting Seijuurou's contact name and replacing it with just a simple 'MS', not wanting Rin to know who he was talking to right away. Still, he hesitated before handing the phone to Rin, not sure if this was what he should really be doing.

“Do you want to date this guy?” Rin asked when it became obvious that Makoto was having second thoughts. “Or do you have a better idea?”

Makoto swallowed when he remembered how tenderly Sousuke had brushed Rin's hair out of his eyes the day before, and he practically threw his phone at Rin before he could regret his decision.

Nothing he'd done had lessened his crush on Seijuurou, and now that Rin had put the idea in his head that Seijuurou might have been single again…

At least if something went wrong, Seijuurou couldn't tell who had called him, right?

Rin grinned triumphantly as he looked at the contact screen that Makoto had left open, reading the initials out loud before hitting the call button and leaning over the table so that Makoto could hear the entire conversation.

“Hello?” Came Seijuurou's voice, and Makoto silently told himself that there was no way that Rin could possibly place that voice.

“Hey,” Rin replied, his voice openly flirtatious enough that Sousuke blinked rapidly and leant back, staring at his boyfriend. “Listen, I've seen you around and I think you're really cute, so I got a friend to give me your number. Are you single?”

“That's...weird,” Seijuurou replied, making Makoto cringe. Rin's laugh was uncharacteristically airy and Sousuke frowned, obviously not liking what Rin was doing.

“C'mon, I just wanna know if I have a chance with you. I heard you were dating that guy, but...” Turning to Sousuke, Rin patted him on the back and blew him a kiss, softening his boyfriend's annoyed expression.

“Oh, Sanada?” Seijuurou said, catching Makoto's attention, “Yeah, that didn't work out.”

Sitting up straight, obviously excited, Rin grinned widely at Makoto and dropped his flirtatious act in favour of his usual voice. “So what you're telling me is that you're single, right?”

Seijuurou's reply took a little too long coming, and Makoto felt a foreboding feeling that almost had him pulling the phone from Rin's grip. The only thing that kept him still was the knowledge that Seijuurou _might_ have been single, and the fact that he might be just seconds away from confirming that.

“Wait a minute...” Seijuurou finally said, “Is this _Matsuoka_?”

Makoto froze, his heart pounding as he realised that he hadn't even considered the possibility of Seijuurou recognising Rin.

“If this is about your sister, then I...”

Finally breaking out of his stupor, Makoto snatched his phone away from Rin, who was very quickly coming to the conclusion that Makoto had been trying to keep from him. He could hear Seijuurou saying something from the phone he was holding to his chest, and he very slowly raised the device to his ear.

“You there?” Seijuurou was saying as Makoto put the phone back against his ear, swallowing hard.

“Sei...Seijuurou?” He stammered, feeling sick to his stomach.

“...Makoto? What is this? What's going on?”

“I have s-something that I need to say,” Makoto forced out, his free hand twisting in the material of his shirt as he realised that it was now or never. “I...really like you, Seijuurou. I'm sorry, I know that you probably have someone else by now, but I like you a lot and...um...yeah.”

Not knowing what to say next, Makoto snapped his phone shut and tossed it onto the table, ignoring Rin and Sousuke's stares to hunch in on himself right there in his seat.

Almost immediately, his phone began to vibrate on the table, all three of them watching as it shook along the flat surface. Under the encouraging eyes of his friends, Makoto eventually reached out with a trembling hand, not even needing the check the display as he put the phone back to his ear.

“Y-yes?”

“Makoto...I like you too, you big dork.”


	5. 'No Sex on the First Date' is a Bullshit Rule

Seijuurou bounced on the balls of his feet as he stood in front of an unfamiliar building, waiting impatiently for Makoto and his family to get back from buying new furniture for Makoto's apartment.

He hadn't actually laid eyes on Makoto since the Nationals tournament months earlier, when time alone together had been impossible to snatch and they'd barely managed to exchange five sentences, but ever since Makoto's stammered and awkward confession their long-distance relationship had certainly taken a turn for the better.

They'd never tried to qualify what they were to each other, but Seijuurou had barely even _looked_ at anyone else since, and he was relatively certain that Makoto had been much the same. There just hadn't been time to worry about _them_ , not when they both had exams and swimming and everything that followed the end of a school year to take up their time.

Still, they'd managed to find enough time to frequently message each other, occasionally even dancing close to the line of 'inappropriate' before one of them reigned the other back in. Seijuurou had never bothered to mention to Makoto that even the hint of something sexual coming from him was enough to get Seijuurou achingly hard, but he certainly hoped that the other man sometimes came away from their conversations the same way that he did.

It was either a blessing or a curse that the Tachibanas chose that exact moment to appear from around the corner, loaded down with bags, their sudden appearance breaking Seijuurou out of his thoughts before he could fall further into them than was probably appropriate in public.

Attempting to control his usual boisterousness in front of Makoto's parents, Seijuurou limited himself to just waving, waiting for them to come to him instead of bounding over to greet Makoto like he really wanted to. Instead, he took the time to observe Makoto's parents, noting that their oldest child did seem to be almost a perfect mix of the two of them.

Makoto's mother was a beautiful woman with the same hair colour and eyes as Makoto, but he'd clearly inherited his father's height. For a brief second, Seijuurou found himself entertaining the thought of Makoto wearing glasses like his father did, but he forced himself to ignore that visual until he _wasn't_ standing in front of the object of his fantasies' parents.

“Good afternoon, Seijuurou...san,” Makoto said, his bright smile wavering as he hesitated and slapped the unnatural-sounding honorific onto the end of his greeting. As much as the addition confused Seijuurou, he tried not to react and plastered a wide grin on his face, eventually realising that Makoto must not want to raise his parents' suspicions about their regained closeness.

“Hey, Makoto-kun,” Seijuurou replied, not liking how uncomfortable the honorific felt rolling off his tongue. Makoto's parents didn't seem to outwardly react to the exchange, but Seijuurou didn't think that they would be stupid enough to not notice how staged the whole thing seemed. “And it's lovely to finally meet you, Tachibana-san, Tachibana-san.”

Bowing to Makoto's parents one after the other, Seijuurou was glad when they both smiled at him and politely greeted him back, their expressions reading as nothing but friendly as Makoto properly introduced everyone. Makoto's mother flushed a little when Seijuurou offered to take the shopping bags she was holding, and a quick sideways glance showed Makoto's father looking at him with faint approval. Makoto himself was smiling happily, and Seijuurou shot him a wink when he was certain that neither of the older Tachibanas would notice.

He was fairly certain that it wasn't a coincidence that Makoto fumbled with his own bags at that exact moment.

“You didn't bring the twins today?” Seijuurou asked as they all headed into Makoto's new apartment building, hoping to head off any potential awkwardness before it could appear. “Makoto-kun speaks so highly of you all that I was looking forward to meeting everyone.”

“We thought they might get bored spending all day here, so we left them to play with a friend,” Makoto answered, looking mildly embarrassed by Seijuurou's words.

His mother patted him on the shoulder and laughed, a clear, feminine sound that vaguely reminded Seijuurou of his own mother. “I suppose you might just have to come back to Iwatobi with Makoto one night for dinner, Mikoshiba-kun. I'm sure that Ran and Ren would love to meet you.”

Turning the full force of his most charming smile onto Makoto's mother, Seijuurou held back a laugh as he caught a brief glimpse of Makoto's vaguely horrified expression. He was more than aware of the fact that his friends' mothers tended to adore him, whether it was because of his generally cheerful attitude or his looks. Makoto's father didn't seem to be particularly put off, though, which made Seijuurou happy as they continued to make small talk until they made it to Makoto's front door.

Looking quite proud of himself as he opened the lock and swung the door open wide, Makoto gestured everyone inside, Seijuurou taking his first glimpse of the apartment that he would hopefully get to spend quite a lot of time in.

It was a typical inner-city Tokyo apartment, fairly small but enough for one person to live in. There wasn't much in the way of decoration, and the furniture was minimal, but Seijuurou was sure that he would see that change once Makoto unpacked the boxes that were sitting against the walls.

Following Makoto's lead, Seijuurou put the bags he was holding in a corner of the small living area, turning around just in time to see Makoto's parents exchange a look that seemed loaded with something he couldn't quite read. It disappeared the moment they saw him watching, Makoto's father handing his armful of bags to Seijuurou with a quiet word of thanks. The couple then glanced at each other once again, calling for Makoto's attention and smiling fondly at him.

“If you two are fine with taking things from here,” Makoto's father started with an uncomfortably knowing look in his eyes, “We should probably start heading back to Iwatobi before it gets too late to pick up the twins.”

Makoto didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary from his parents, and he quickly walked over to them. “Oh! Well, let me walk you back to the station.”

“No, no, we'll be fine,” Makoto's mother said in a gentle voice, her eyes only briefly flicking over to where Seijuurou was standing. “You stay here and get set up, sweetheart. We can find our own way back. It was lovely meeting you, Mikoshiba-kun.”

“And you two as well,” Seijuurou replied, bowing again and trying to ignore the gradually growing suspicion that _they knew_. “Have a safe trip home, and a lovely evening.”

Makoto looked a little reluctant to let his parents leave without him, but he hugged them both goodbye as Seijuurou placed the last of the bags with the others. He looked around as Makoto closed the door behind his parents, and he let out a breath and relaxed his perfectly upright posture just a little.

“That went well,” Seijuurou announced as soon as he was certain that Makoto's parents would be too far away to hear the conversation. “Your parents are nice.”

“What about _you_?” Makoto asked, sounding just a little awed. “I've never seen you so...so...”

“Charming?” Seijuurou asked as he walked towards Makoto, giving a sultry smile and thoroughly enjoying the tiniest hitch of Makoto's breath.

“Well-behaved,” Makoto eventually managed to say, only to immediately widen his eyes and hold his hands up in a 'wait' gesture. “I-I mean, not that you're not _usually_ polite, but...”

Letting himself laugh as gleefully as he normally did, Seijuurou threw caution to the wind and gently wrapped his hands around Makoto's outstretched ones. “I know what you meant, Makoto. I just wanted to make a good impression.”

As nice as Makoto's hands felt in his own, Seijuurou reluctantly let him go before things could get awkward, settling instead for taking pleasure in Makoto's dazed expression. He didn't want to push Makoto into anything, especially considering that they hadn't had time to talk about what they were or could be to each other, but it was nice to know that Makoto apparently quite liked him.

“Anyway,” Makoto said, only sounding a little flustered, “I suppose I should finish unpacking.”

“Well, I'm here to help,” Seijuurou immediately replied, unable to resist the urge to flex his arms dramatically. “May as well put these muscles to good use.”

The effect was immediately ruined, though, when his _traitorous_ stomach rumbled loudly, making him realise that he'd been too excited to remember to eat lunch like some kind of child. It was incredibly rare for that to happen, considering that his training schedule usually required him to eat a ridiculous amount just to have the energy to keep moving.

Damn, he really was gone for Makoto.

Seijuurou immediately saw Makoto switch to what Rin had used to refer to as his 'mother hen mode', a look of concern crossing his face as he asked, “Have you had lunch, Seijuurou?”

“Uh, no,” Seijuurou admitted, scratching the back of his head. “I'm good though.”

Makoto obviously didn't believe him, and quickly went about gathering his wallet and keys. “I'm not going to let you set up my apartment on an empty stomach. We saw a ramen place a couple of blocks away, and I'd like to find out what's good around here as soon as I can.”

Deciding that he could forgo any more polite denial with Makoto, Seijuurou laughed and nodded, following Makoto back out of the apartment.

The mentioned restaurant was a small place but considering that it was the middle of the afternoon, when they entered the only other patron was an older man quietly smoking alone in a corner, an empty bowl in front of him. Putting their orders into the machine just inside the shop's front door, Seijuurou stealthily inserted his own money before Makoto could, ignoring his protests and handing their ticket to an employee.

Seated beside a window, Seijuurou took a moment to watch the people walking past before turning back to face Makoto. Propping his chin up with his hand, he let his eyes rake over Makoto's handsome face and gave a fond smile when Makoto flushed.

“Thanks for inviting me over today,” Seijuurou said when he sensed that Makoto was becoming a little uncomfortable with the silent attention.

“Well, I...” Makoto trailed off as the other patron walked past their table towards the exit, glancing at him and then down at the table until they were alone with the too-busy-to-care staff. “I missed you, Seijuurou. We've both been so busy, I just...I wanted to see you.”

Even though it sounded borderline _painful_ for Makoto to admit it so openly, Seijuurou started to grin so widely that his face felt like it was going to split open. The smile fell away, though, when he and Makoto almost simultaneously remembered what had happened the last time they'd properly seen each other in person.

Sighing heavily, Seijuurou sat up straight and removed his elbow from the table. “Makoto, I know we've talked about this over text, but…”

“Seijuurou, you don't need to-”

“I do,” Seijuurou interrupted, shaking his head and strengthening his resolve. They'd never get anywhere if he didn't make sure they'd addressed their biggest problem so far, after all. “I didn't know, sure, but I hurt you when I shoved my relationship in your face. I won't apologise for having other partners, but I regret being so obnoxious about it and if I'd had the slightest clue how bad it would make you feel, I would _never_ have done that to you. I don't ever want to hurt you, Makoto.”

Green eyes suspiciously shiny, Makoto looked down at the table, leaving Seijuurou to scrutinise his expression. He thought he could see the tiniest hint of a smile there, but the moment was ruined when the worker they'd given their ticket to appeared next to their table, depositing their bowls and politely departing.

It was the stuff of bad movies, but it had been nice while it had lasted.

Their conversation fell by the wayside as they began to eat, Seijuurou finding himself pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. He'd been living in Tokyo for long enough to know that some places could be a little hit-or-miss, but he made a mental note to come back to this particular place at some point to try their other dishes.

He wasn't sure if he was glad or not that Makoto didn't attempt any further conversation until they were both finished, two completely empty bowls left between them and both feeling pleasantly full. He could see Makoto obviously struggling to find the best way to start the conversation again, though, and he waited patiently for the younger man to address whatever it was that he wanted to.

“Seijuurou,” Makoto eventually began, fingers tapping nervously against the glass of water in front of him, “I have to ask...you're _amazing_ , and I'll definitely understand if you do, but...do you, um, do you have a partner right now?”

Seijuurou almost laughed, but he knew that Makoto would probably misinterpret it and so he cleared his throat to disguise the urge, folding his arms on the table and leaning just a little bit forward. “No, Makoto. I'm single.”

It was a simple admission, impossible to misinterpret, but Makoto looked unsure nonetheless. “You're not just saying that to avoid hurting me, right?”

Shaking his head, Seijuurou took advantage of the small table and their long legs to knock his calf against Makoto's, letting the contact stay as he looked right into Makoto's eyes and tried to convey how genuine he was being. “I promise you, I'm telling the truth. I haven't even _touched_ anyone else since you told me that you liked me and I realised that I might actually have a chance with you.”

Makoto's face coloured beautifully, and it was only the public setting that stopped Seijuurou from reaching out and seeing if his cheeks felt as warm as they looked.

“You didn't have to do that for me.”

“I wanted to,” Seijuurou admitted easily, shrugging his shoulders. “No one else really felt appealing to me once I found out that a guy like you was interested, especially after I'd already convinced myself that you were off-limits. Didn't want to ruin our friendship.”

“A guy like me?” Makoto asked shyly, his own gaze flicking to and from Seijuurou's eyes.

“A guy like you, Makoto. If I start listing the things I like about you we'll never get out of here, but it already kind of feels like we've been dating for the last couple of months anyway, what with how often we chat.”

Makoto looked like he was caught between jumping to happy conclusions and shielding himself from disappointment, and Seijuurou smiled faintly before quickly putting the poor boy out of his misery. “I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd really like it if you wanted to give proper dating a shot.”

Biting his lip, Makoto's eyes crinkled with happiness as his wariness melted away, his entire face lighting up. “Can we call this our first real date?”

“Of course,” Seijuurou grinned, intensely glad that he'd thought to pay for them before Makoto could. Makoto's answering smile made Seijuurou feel like he could do _anything_ , and he silently thanked whoever was looking out for him that he'd been able to put that look on Makoto's face.

Just as Seijuurou was considering forgetting all the rules of public etiquette and trying to kiss Makoto right there and then, Makoto pushed his chair back and stood up abruptly. Looking completely flustered as he fumbled to make sure he was holding all of his belongings, he turned to Seijuurou and wrung his hands.

“Um...I think we should go.”

“Inviting me back to your place already?” Seijuurou said in a low voice, seizing the opportunity for a little harmless teasing. Before Makoto could stammer too much of a reply, he stood up and briefly reached out to touch Makoto's elbow reassuringly, their bodies hiding the gesture from the view of the staff. “I'm joking. Let's get you settled in, yeah?”

Makoto smiled in relief, and Seijuurou gestured for him to leave first, trying not to perve _too_ much as Makoto walked in front of him.

Out on the street, it was a little hard to stop himself from reaching out to touch, especially when their hands occasionally brushed as one of them stepped to the side to avoid a cyclist or a fellow pedestrian.

As much as he'd wanted to put his hands on his previous partners, both male and female, Seijuurou didn't think he'd ever felt such a strong compulsion to just _touch_. It wasn't even necessarily sexual, although he could never say that he would be opposed to that; he just felt like he needed to be _connected_ to Makoto.

That thought stuck in his head as they made their way back to Makoto's building and up to his apartment, the sound of the door closing behind them feeling like the essence of private safety. Seijuurou was first to enter and he turned back to face Makoto, reading the conflicting emotions on the man's face and wanting to replace them with nothing but happiness.

He was glad that Makoto didn't shy away when he stepped closer than could ever be read as platonic, finally indulging himself and gently taking Makoto's cheeks in his hands.

“Makoto...”

Hesitant hands slowly closed around his hips and Seijuurou smiled, leaning just a little bit closer until he knew that Makoto could feel his breath on his skin. “Makoto, can I kiss you?”

“Y-yes,” Makoto said, swallowing hard and then nodding more certainly. He leant forward enough that Seijuurou barely even had to move to connect their lips, and Seijuurou felt a shiver run across his shoulders at the light, closed mouth kiss.

The fingers on his hips twitched, and Seijuurou took it as a positive sign to make their second kiss a little deeper, revelling in the feel of Makoto's soft lips against his own. When Makoto's tongue brushed his lips he was pleasantly surprised, and he happily allowed the other man to take the lead. He wasn't one to worry about dominant bullshit, more pleased to know that his partner felt comfortable enough to push a little further, and that was even more true with a guy like Makoto.

Their first few kisses were still relatively relaxed, but as time passed they became more sure of themselves, dry kisses becoming messy ones and gentle hands beginning to find purchase in hair and clothes.

“Okay, okay,” Seijuurou eventually forced out when they disconnected for a moment, running his hand through Makoto's hair but taking the tiniest step away. “If we don't stop now, we'll never get you unpacked.”

For a brief moment, Makoto looked like he wanted to argue before he caught himself, slowly untangling his hands from the back of Seijuurou's shirt. It was obvious that he was hard, harder than Seijuurou was, but the redhead didn't bring attention to it as Makoto took his lead and stepped away.

“Right...right, I, uh, yes. Unpacking. Right.”

Seijuurou immediately decided that flustered Makoto with messy hair and kiss-swollen lips was his new favourite Makoto, but he forced that thought aside by summoning every little bit of his remaining self control.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from leaning in and whispering, “If we get the essentials done now, we can make out some more afterwards.”

Makoto let out a high-pitched squeak and Seijuurou had to turn away, pressing his fist to his mouth as he wondered how he'd managed to hit the jackpot. He'd obviously done something right at some point if he'd managed to find someone as amazing as Tachibana Makoto.

Their unpacking job wasn't particularly thorough or neat, the basic necessities getting thrown wherever they happened to fit; Seijuurou was mostly just glad that Makoto's bed had already been set up and properly made, because he didn't think he could have handled sorting that out without attempting to coax Makoto into it.

Even without that, their unpacking probably consisted of more 'accidental' touching than was _strictly_ necessary.

It was hard to control himself when they both piled onto Makoto's smallish couch after the most basic of basics were unpacked, legs touching more out of necessity than anything else. Seijuurou wanted to immediately pick up where they'd left off, but he didn't want to make Makoto uncomfortable and so he was left sitting stiffly in place.

A few awkward, silent moments passed before Seijuurou realised that Makoto wasn't going to make the first move, although whether that was from inexperience or something else, he didn't know.

Makoto jumped just a little when Seijuurou relaxed and let his hand lightly come to rest on Makoto's thigh, making sure not to stray too high up and into more dangerous territory. Just as Seijuurou was second guessing himself, Makoto turned towards him, his expression shy but willing.

“You said we could...when we were finished...”

Squeezing Makoto's thigh gently, Seijuurou took pity on him and finished the sentence himself. “You want to make out a little more?”

Makoto's enthusiastic nod made Seijuurou smile, and he shifted closer to Makoto on the couch. “I like the way you think, gorgeous.”

Before Makoto could react to the affectionate pet name, Seijuurou leaned in and kissed him again, sighing a little when Makoto immediately opened his mouth to deepen the contact. He flushed and stammered, but his actions were largely sure and inviting, and it was one of the hottest things Seijuurou had ever encountered.

He didn't know how much time they'd spent necking on the couch, lips trailing over whatever exposed skin they could find and hands staying firmly above clothes, but to Seijuurou's surprise it was Makoto who first moved his hands to Seijuurou's waistband, his fingertips just barely slipping _millimetres_ under the material and against hot skin.

As much as he wanted to let Makoto push on, Seijuurou wrapped his hands around Makoto's wrists to keep them in place, pulling back slowly as he let a deep kiss become a series of lingering pecks.

“Wait, Makoto,” he started a little regretfully, trying not to look at the way mortification flashed across the other man's face. “I need to know how far you're comfortable with going before we start pushing any further. I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything more than this, we can even stop right now and I'll still be happy.”

“R-really?” Makoto sounded unsure of himself, and Seijuurou was glad that he'd thought to stop when he did.

“Of course,” he said lightly, letting go of a wrist so that he could run a hand through Makoto's hair. “If you want, I can go home now.”

“No!” Makoto said, perhaps louder than he'd been meaning to. His free hand moved up to clutch at Seijuurou's bicep, fingers lightly stroking a nervous pattern. “Don't go, Seijuurou.”

“Hey, hey,” Seijuurou soothed, still running his hand through Makoto's hair, “I don't want to go, but if that's what you want then I will. I want us both to be comfortable here, and although I'll happily admit that there's very little I wouldn't do with you right now, I want to know what _you_ want.”

Makoto was silent for a long few moments, Seijuurou taking the opportunity to to calm himself down in case Makoto wanted to stop right there and then. He would happily comply, of course, but that didn't mean it would be _easy_.

“I,” Makoto eventually said before he paused again, eyes darting around nervously, “I...I want...I mean, I guess I'd like...”

When he trailed off again, Seijuurou stayed silent, not wanting to influence or assume Makoto's position. His patience was soon rewarded, clear and certain eyes meeting his own even as Makoto's face burned red with embarrassment and excitement.

“If you want...I think I'd really l-like it if...um...and only if _you_ want...havesexwithme?”

The last words were rushed and jumbled together, and although Seijuurou was _fairly_ certain that he knew what Makoto was saying, he didn't want to agree to anything until he was certain that he knew what Makoto was asking for.

“Gorgeous, can you just repeat that last part please? I didn't quite hear it.”

Makoto shook a little but his eyes stayed steady, boring into Seijuurou's own. “Sei, please...h-have sex with me.”

The words went straight to Seijuurou's groin but he swallowed down his immediate reaction, instead trying to restrain his own excitement. “You're not just saying that because you think I want it, are you?”

“No,” Makoto said firmly, his fingers tightening on Seijuurou's bicep. “I trust you, Seijuurou. I've wanted this for a long time, and I...I don't want to wait any longer.”

It wasn't at all what he'd been expecting when he'd entered Makoto's apartment, but he wasn't about to complain; still, he felt like he needed to clarify one more detail…

“Is this your first time, Makoto?”

The answering shake of Makoto's head honestly had Seijuurou a little taken aback, and although he was curious, he knew that it was probably better for his own state of mind if he never pried too deeply into Makoto's sexual history. Not that he was judging, of course, but just because some things were better left alone.

“Well, if you're sure about this...” Seijuurou said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile, glad to see that Makoto mirrored his expression without indecision.

Taking a deep breath, Makoto set his shoulders and nodded firmly, squeezing the muscle of Seijuurou's arm and then returning his hand to join the other at Seijuurou's waistband. “I want this.”

Seijuurou grinned, slipping his hand down from Makoto's hair to cup his chin and pull him closer for another kiss.

“I've got you, Makoto,” Seijuurou soothed once he pulled back, hand still warm and comforting on Makoto's face. “No matter what, I've got you.”

Makoto ducked his face in embarrassment, but Seijuurou could see the pleased little smile on his face and he let out a low little laugh as he pulled Makoto in close, wrapping him up in a tight hug. His crotch throbbed with the need for attention but Seijuurou forced the feeling out of his mind, instead focusing on gently pulling Makoto off the couch and letting him lead the way to the bedroom.

Makoto was more eager then nervous as he finally got to indulge his need to strip away Seijuurou's clothing, his hands shaking a little as they pulled off each other's clothes between frantic, sloppy kisses. He'd obviously seen Seijuurou mostly naked before, but _this…_

If Seijuurou hadn't been making little approving noises from the back of his throat, Makoto might have felt weird about the fact that he just couldn't seem to keep his hands off the solid muscles etched down Seijuurou's torso. As it was, though, Seijuurou didn't seem to mind, and the hard shape obvious in his last remaining piece of clothing made it more than clear that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Makoto still had his pants on, but Seijuurou was slowly inching down the fly while lightly nibbling on his neck, and the only complaint that Makoto could make was that he wasn't going faster.

This wasn't like the time with Rin and Sousuke, which had certainly been fun but hadn't _meant_ anything. He really, _really_ liked Seijuurou, and he was certain that Seijuurou liked him back, and just the knowledge of that was making each touch and kiss feel even more heated and pleasurable than they already were.

“Seijuurou,' Makoto murmured, his head falling back as Seijuurou continued putting his mouth all over the sensitive skin of his neck, “Seijuurou!”

The second time it sounded more urgent and Seijuurou reacted instantly, pulling away from Makoto and stepping back to put some space between them. “What is it? Do you need to stop? Did I push too far?”

The look of pure concern on Seijuurou's face had Makoto's heart beating hard, and he immediately stepped forward and laid a gentle palm on the middle of Seijuurou's chest. “No, god no, nothing like that. I just...I want to...”

“You want to go further?” Seijuurou prompted, making Makoto nod in reply. “Okay. How d'you want to do this?”

“Can you...” Makoto began, only to stop and swallow hard. “Can you...be um, on top?”

Seijuurou nearly wanted to double over from the lust that suddenly sucker punched him in the stomach, but he held his reaction down and instead grabbed the hand that Makoto still had on his chest, raising it to his lips and gently pressing them against Makoto's knuckles.

“You can have whatever you want,” he said, voice low and heavy from arousal. “Do you have any lube? Condoms?”

Makoto covered his eyes with his free hand and sheepishly pointed under the bed, Seijuurou promptly crouching down and tugging out the gift box that was stashed under there. He had his suspicions, of course, but they didn't stop him from asking exactly why Makoto had a box full of basic sex supplies under his bed.

Makoto cringed and admitted in a painfully quiet voice, “...Nagisa thought it would be funny...or something...”

“The little guy?” Seijuurou asked, raising his eyebrows at the idea of Makoto being presented with such a gift. “Well, I'm not going to complain, so...”

In fact, Seijuurou thought after they had finished stripping each other, only occasionally getting distracted by more kissing and exploring hands, he was probably going to have to send the guy a thank you note. Makoto was stretched out on the mattress beneath him, and he was easing one slick finger inside that beautiful, toned body, and Makoto was letting out quiet little moans, and it was the greatest thing Seijuurou had ever experienced.

“You okay?” Seijuurou asked as he pushed a little further, one hand teasing over Makoto's straining cock and balls to distract him as he slipped a second finger inside. He knew from experience that Makoto probably wasn't entirely comfortable, but at the very least he hoped that he was helping to keep away any pain.

“Good,” Makoto panted breathlessly, his hips rocking between Seijuurou's hands and his dick jumping a little, “Please...please, more.”

“Soon,” Seijuurou soothed, leaning down to drop a kiss right at the top of Makoto's thigh. It was hypnotising to watch the way Makoto squirmed on his fingers, and it would surely be even better once he had Makoto on his cock, but he was determined not to rush and make the other man uncomfortable.

“ _Please_ ,” Makoto sobbed, and Seijuurou actually had to pull back and take a deep breath after that. Still, he most definitely did _not_ want to hurt Makoto, and so he forced himself to stay under control until he was mostly certain that Makoto was as ready as he could be.

His dick wasn't exactly the best size for someone who had admitted to only topping before, but if it was what Makoto wanted then Seijuurou was going to do his best to ensure that Makoto got it.

“Are you ready?” Seijuurou asked, pulling his hands away from Makoto so that he could roll a condom down his painfully hard cock and add a more-than-healthy amount of extra lube. Makoto watched the whole thing with wide, eager eyes, and Seijuurou couldn't resist swooping down to kiss his slack lips before letting him answer.

“Ready, Sei, please, _now_ ,” Makoto gasped, and Seijuurou smiled fondly down at him.

“Alright, just make sure you let me know if it hurts. I want you to enjoy this.” Coaxing Makoto pull his legs as far open as he could, Seijuurou lined himself up and slowly began pressing inside Makoto's ass. He kept a steady eye on Makoto's expression as he fought the natural instincts of Makoto's body, the head of his cock finally, _finally_ easing inside once Makoto had managed to relax himself.

There was the briefest flash of discomfort on Makoto's face, but it quickly passed and so Seijuurou kept going, calling on every single little bit of his control to move as slowly and gently as possible. One hand back on Makoto's cock, which had flagged a little under the pressure of Seijuurou pushing inside him, Seijuurou tried his best to distract Makoto from the odd sensation, hoping that his body would get used to it sooner rather than later.

He stopped as soon as he was fully inside Makoto, the younger man looking a little stunned when Seijuurou murmured that Makoto had managed to take his entire dick. It was honestly adorable, and Seijuurou laughed softly as he waited for Makoto to feel more comfortable.

He was more than happy to wait until toned legs wrapped around his waist and long-fingered hands clutched at his back, Makoto breathing heavily as he wriggled experimentally and found that he felt better than he had expected. Seijuurou let out a long, low groan as Makoto clenched around him, but he flexed the muscles in his thighs and forced himself to wait until he got a clear sign to start moving.

“Okay,” Makoto eventually panted, looking flushed and still a little astounded, “you can...if you want...move, maybe?”

When Seijuurou started to slowly fuck him, it suddenly became clear to Makoto why Rin reacted the way he did when he was on the receiving end. It still felt a little uncomfortable to have Seijuurou inside him, but the sensation of a hard dick moving inside him was unlike anything else he'd ever experienced, and he could very easily see himself loving it once his body was a little more used to it.

And when Seijuurou's hands moved him into a slightly different position, his dick suddenly passing over Makoto's prostate, Makoto suddenly arched off the bed and knew _exactly_ why people did this.

His half-muffled cry encouraged Seijuurou, who grinned down at Makoto and made a _very_ obvious effort to keep hitting the same spot. Makoto very quickly found himself reduced to a shaking pile of desperate noises, his hands clutching at Seijuurou's sweaty back and his eyesight going a little blurry as he stared up at the beautiful man above him.

Seijuurou wasn't fucking into Makoto particularly fast, but it seemed like gentle actions were far more Makoto's style than anything else, and so Seijuurou wasn't particularly surprised when he got his hand down onto Makoto's cock and the other man immediately hit a new desperate pitch of noise.

“Don't hold back if you need to come,” Seijuurou whispered, stroking Makoto's cock in a rhythm similar to the one he had keeping up in Makoto's ass. It didn't take too much more for Makoto to shudder beneath him and cry out a little louder, the sound music to Seijuurou's ears as Makoto shook through his orgasm.

Knowing that it could be too much for some people, Seijuurou slowed his own hips once Makoto finished, lifting his dirty hand to his mouth and licking along his come-stained index finger. “Do you want me to pull out?”

“ _No_ ,” Makoto gasped, his hands still clutching at Seijuurou, “Keep going, Sei.”

With a dirty grin, Seijuurou started moving his hips again, holding eye contact with Makoto as he used his clean hand for leverage and continued to lick Makoto's come off his hand. The sound that Makoto let out seemed almost desperately aroused, and it was really that more than anything else that got Seijuurou off.

Makoto's body was tight and hot, but so were a lot of others; but only Makoto had that voice and those kind eyes, combined with the face of an angel and the personality to match.

It was entirely certain now, Seijuurou was done for.

It was with that thought in mind that he let his head hang down on Makoto's shoulder, holding the man close as he let himself go and felt the thrill of orgasm run through him. It was a little embarrassing how soon it had finished, considering how good Seijuurou's usual track record was, but Makoto didn't seem to even notice as Seijuurou slowly pulled out of him and rolled to one side.

Pulling off his used condom and tying it up to be safely thrown away, Seijuurou glanced around the mostly-empty bedroom before shrugging and dropping it onto his shirt, deciding that it was better than putting the thing directly on the floor. He could never be considered an awkward person, but once that was done Seijuurou wasn't exactly sure what to do next. They needed to get clean, but Makoto didn't look particularly ready to move and Seijuurou didn't want to leave him alone.

“ _Seijuurou_ ,” Makoto eventually said, noticing that the other man was perched awkwardly on the side of the bed, “Come back?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Seijuurou saw that Makoto was holding his arms open, and that was all the invitation he needed. He was more than happy to let Makoto's arms wrap around him, regardless of their sweaty and slightly come-stained bodies and still-nude states, and for a while they both just stayed like that without even bothering to talk.

“Mako?” Seijuurou eventually decided to ask, his thumb drawing circles on Makoto's hip and the rest of him just enjoying how well he fit into Makoto's arms.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay with all this?”

A moment passed before Makoto moved, positioning himself until he could see Seijuurou's face. “I don't know if I've ever felt this happy, Seijuurou.”

The grin that developed across Seijuurou's face was dumbstruck and sappy and uncomfortably wide, but he didn't care.

The same look was on Makoto's face too, after all.

“Be my boyfriend?” Seijuurou suddenly blurted out, glad when Makoto looked giddy with excitement, as if all his birthdays had suddenly come at once.

“Of course,” Makoto immediately said, excitement obvious in his tone as he squeezed Seijuurou tightly, “Of course I will.”

Seijuurou was still grinning even as he went to kiss Makoto, all thoughts of leaving the bed completely gone from his mind.

The rest of the unpacking could wait, they had _much_ better things they could be doing right then and there.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://socialdegenerate.tumblr.com), here's my [tag for everything relating to the 2 + 2 universe](http://socialdegenerate.tumblr.com/tagged/tptef), and requests are always open [here](http://socialdegenerate.tumblr.com/ask) or in the review section!


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